Sophomore forward Treg Setty is seeing his first action in a Bobcat uniform this season after transferring to Ohio from Southern Illinois. The Maysville, Ky., native took some time to speak with OhioBobcats.com staff writer Megan Carnahan about his basketball career and his off-the-court hobbies.

1) I’ve heard you made it through a round of 'American Idol.' Tell me about that experience. “For me it was cool. It was different because I’m so used to doing basketball trips. To take a long trip somewhere and not play ball, it was different. But, I’ve always liked music. I was always in the musicals and stuff in high school. It was cool to be so young and get that experience.”

2) What song did you sing for that? Why? “I sang 'I’ll Be' by Edwin McCain. I had a few songs that I was going to sing, but the whole time that you’re there, you don’t get a lot of warm-up time. And so, I was really comfortable with that song. I sat in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. Then, when it got to 9 p.m., I didn’t know if my voice was as warmed up as I wanted it to be, and so I just sang 'I’ll Be.' It was kind of safe. And when you’re 17, you’re kind of reluctant to do anything out of the ordinary anyways. So, I didn’t want to push it too much. I thought I did pretty well.”

3) Do you play any instruments? “No, I don’t. I’ve never really had time to learn. So, that’s kind of something I want to do. I try to put some time into it, but I get so caught up in sports and school. I just never had time to devote to it. Eventually one day I want to get to it.”

4) What is your tattoo of, and what does it mean? “My first one has to do with my family. It’s a quote that I like, and it’s on my chest. The one on my arm is there because one of my favorite actors, Tom Hardy, in the movie 'Warrior,' had a tribal tattoo on his right arm and it extended to his back. So, I just wanted to get the tribal one on my arm just to start it off and eventually get it to my back. I just liked the way it looked.”

5) What is your favorite movie and/or favorite genre? “I have a lot of them, but here lately, I’ve watched 'Cast Away' like 20 times in the past two weeks. I’ve liked it since I was a kid. I’ve always been interested in survival techniques and stuff like that. I’ve kind of analyzed it lately and realized how deep of a movie it is. As for what kind, I like more dramatic movies. Some of my favorites are 'Cast Away,' 'Braveheart,' 'Donnie Darko,' just movies that make you think.”

6) Have you ever been told that you look like rapper, MGK? “Yeah, I get that all the time, especially since I came here. That, and when I got my haircut, everyone was saying I looked like Macklemore. They say I look like Macklemore and MGK put together, something like that. My brother gets the MGK thing, too. The fact that we’re tall and skinny and kind of lanky doesn’t help, but I don’t mind it though. He’s a good-looking dude.”

7) Do you have any nicknames?“'Makeshift Middleman' is a new one because I’ve never really been a middleman or center until I got here, and now I’m playing as a big. 'Makeshift Middleman' is because I was just kind of made on the spot.”

8) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? “Lately, I’ve been wanting to go to California, because one of my best friends has always lived out there and he always talks about how great it is. My brother has also been out there and said the same thing. So, I would probably live in California for a bit. Eventually, I hope to make it over there. That’s like my dream spot right now.”

9) Who is your hero? “I have a bunch of different people that I look up to. Lately, my hero has been Dennis Rodman. For me to play here, I’ve got to rebound a lot, and I think Dennis Rodman was the best rebounder to ever play. So, I’ve kind of tried to pattern some of the things that I’ve done around him. On the court, I try to mock some of his mannerisms and the ways he played.”

10) Do you have any pregame rituals? “I meditate a little bit. I just try to calm myself down before games. I’ve been kind of crazy in the past, letting my mind get in the way before games.”

11) Do you listen to any certain songs before games? “I listen to ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ by The National, pretty much anything by The National. It’s one of my favorite bands. I also watch a lot of movie trailers before games. I know that’s weird, but I watch the movie trailer to Warrior. I watch Remember the Titans trailer, and the very end of that movie where Rev runs that touchdown toward the end. I always watch that, too, and it gets me pretty psyched. I watch pretty much anything that will get me more pumped when I’m out there on the court.”

12) When did you first start playing basketball? “Ever since I can remember. My dad used to have a Little Tikes basketball hoop, and he set up a room for my brother and me to go and play. I guess I’ve been playing ever since I could walk, and I’ve loved the game ever since. I actually played ball before I could talk.”

13) What’s the best part about road games? “I love road games. It’s a good time to get away from home and school for a little bit, with your teammates. It’s a plus playing ball because for road games, it’s really cool to just go out of town and be with your friends. You can always learn a little bit about yourself when you travel. It’s a worry-free trip. All you’ve got to do is just play ball.”

14) Where is the toughest place you’ve had to play? “Probably Wichita State, my freshman year. We were in their conference my freshman year, when I was at Southern Illinois. They were crazy, it was so loud. It’s not like a super big place. It’s like a six or seven thousand seat arena, but the fans were just so loud.”

15) What made you come to Ohio?“A lot of things. I like Coach Christian, first and foremost. I really appreciated what he was pitching to me. It was something I wanted to be a part of. The team was coming off a Sweet 16 run and had a lot of players back. It’s close to home. My dad lives an hour and ten minutes away from here in Peebles, Ohio. Some of my other family members are from Maysville, Ky., and it’s about two hours away. So it’s really just a lot of convenience, and my family can come watch me. It’s just a great school and a great place to be.”

16) What are your future goals? “I want to graduate, keep my scholarship and not owe any money when I graduate. Those are big goals of mine. I want to get a job and be successful. My goals right now are to win a Mid-American Conference Championship and get back in rotation to be a big part of the team.”

17) In your opinion, who is the funniest guy on the team? “Probably Wadly [Mompremier]. Wadly doesn’t even know that he’s funny, and that’s what makes him funny. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t take anything too seriously. His mannerisms and what he does is funny. Honestly, this is the funniest team I’ve ever been on. All of the freshmen are hilarious. Everbody’s got their own style of humor to them.”

18) Who is the best dressed on the team? “Kellogg is the best dressed. He’s got a little style to him, and he knows what he’s doing. Stevie would say he’s the best dressed, but we know he’s not. He’s just got the most gear [laughs].”

19) Who is the most shy? “Jon Smith.”

20) Who is the most talkative? “Probably me. In all facets of my life, I’m probably the most talkative. In practice, I talk all the time. They get mad at me because I talk too much. I just can’t help it.”